A Twist in History
by xPenguinQueenx
Summary: June Marks' life is changed forever when she finds a little girl lost and alone in the woods. She will change TWD as you know it and create her own story of friendship, family, and romance. An OCxBeth story. Contains a sassy Sophia and a father figure Daryl.
1. The Twist

**I do not own anything except for my OC, June. TWD belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC.**

* * *

I loved my little brother more than anything. I was twelve and he was six when we first met. He's technically my half-brother, but that was never important. I wasn't even aware that he existed until one day I came home from school and found him asleep on the couch. Dad had explained to me that his mother had OD'd on something or another and suddenly he was just there in my life. He never left my side, he was my best friend. Dad was bit and after that it was just Keith and I. So, when he died two months after dad, a piece of me went with him.

I didn't want to live, but he made me promise I would try my best to live in this world of danger. Dad told me to protect Keith and I couldn't do that, so I thought that the least I could do was listen to my little brother's last request. I assumed I would spend whatever little time I had left alone, but I was very, very wrong. All because my life changed for the better on a hot, sunny day in the woods thanks to a little girl named Sophia.

* * *

I was trying my best to stay cool with shade from the trees. My red curls had been sticking to my sweaty neck all day and I decided I deserved a nice, quiet break. I sat myself down on the ground, my back against the tree. Today was peaceful. I hadn't run into any shell-heads all day and I had found five cans of peaches and four cans of beans. That, on top of all the cans of tuna I had found two days ago, would have me set for at least another week and a half! I really hit the jackpot. Maybe my luck was turning around.

I was packing my bags after my short break when I heard something moving my way. No, not a something. A someone. A FAST someone. Meaning, I was most definitely about to come face to face with a living person. My first reaction was to run, but there's no telling how badly that would end. This stranger could have a gun and I do not want to get shot today, so instead I pull out the hatchet from my belt and prepared for a fight. Hopefully, whoever was making all the noise would, like me, just want to walk away from the situation. I can hear whoever it is getting closer. They should be just behind me and my tree. I peer behind it when suddenly, I'm knocked off my feet. A pair of hands have pushed me to the ground.

The air leaves my lungs and I feel anger and fear. Anger at myself and fear for my future life expectancy. Somehow this person has caught me off guard and they don't seem friendly if how they knocked me to the ground says anything. I can vaguely feel the stranger grabbing me. Shaking me. My hearing is the first thing that comes back and a soft "sorry" and "didn't mean to" greets my ears. I peer up in the direction of the voice and kneeling above me is a little girl. She has tears in her eyes and she is letting out tiny gasps of air. Her dirty blonde hair is tickling my nose and I can't understand what is happening. Is this tiny girl the one who knocked the wind out of me? That's embarrassing.

She's grabbing my arm and telling me I need to get up when I see one of them. So, this kid was running from a shell-head, huh? Where in the hell were her parents at? No, it doesn't matter right now. What does matter is getting up and making sure this thing doesn't take a bite outta the kid.

I slowly get up with the girl's help and grab my hatchet that had fallen from my hands. I look to the girl and hold my hand up at her hoping she gets my message. _Don't move_. She lets out a small sniffle, but nods her head. Happy with her reply, I look back to the shell-head only to find him stumbling towards me. I lunge for him before he even has the chance to surprise me. He drops to the ground and I tuck my hatchet back onto my belt. I turn back to the girl. She has her eyes closed and she's clutching the bottom of her shirt with her hands.

I don't want to alarm her, but if there were more following her I need to know. "Hey, kid." I call out to her and she opens her eyes wide. She looks so scared and my heart aches for her, 'Are there more?"

Her tiny brow furrows and she shakes her head. I let out a breath of relief and take a moment to take stock of the situation. This kid obviously doesn't know where she is if the lost way she's looking around is anything to go on. I don't have anywhere to be, so maybe I can help her find her parents. Her eyes find mine and she looks guilty when she asks, "are you okay, lady?"

At first I, don't understand what she is asking, but then I realize my breathing is still labored and it's because of this tiny girl who can't be more than 12 years old.

"Don't worry, I'm okay," I'm quick to reassure her. And it's true, I'm fine. The only thing that's bruised is my pride. "You probably thought I was one of those things, right?"

She slowly nods her head in confirmation.

We sit in an uncomfortable silence after that. I'm not sure how to ask her if she needs help. I'm about to just come out and ask when her eyes widen and she looks around frantically. She lets out a gasp and the tears that had slowly left her eyes are now returning.

"Have you seen my doll?" she practically screeches this sentence and my index finger instinctively comes to rest on my mouth. She covers her mouth with her hand and the tears start slowly spilling onto her cheeks. In a lower voice, she tells me, "I told my friend that I'd take care of her"

Instinct taking over from all the times I had to comfort my brother, I crouched in front of her and wiped the tears away and whispered, "How about we go look for your doll, okay?" She nods and hiccups as I stand back up. I extend my hand for her to take. She looks at it warily and I don't expect her to take it, but she seems to trust me since I just saved her from the shell-head and grabs it. She's cleaner than I am so the dirt from my palm wipes off in hers, but she doesn't seem to mind.

I pick my bag up from the ground where it had been discarded and the girl starts leading me in the direction she had come from. She seems terrified, but she doesn't stop. It strikes me that I neither know this girl's name nor where her parents are.

I tap her hand with my thumb and she looks up at me. I try to stop walking, but she tugs me forward and so we keep going. "What's your name, kiddo? And why were you even out here?" I whisper in case there are more of them roaming around.

"Sophia," She tries to match my tone, but it still comes out a little too loud. "I got separated from my mom. Carl's dad, Mr. Grimes, ran after me, but he had to get the other ones away."

Well that explains why she's alone, I suppose. I still don't know how to get her back to her mother, but at least we're getting somewhere. I expected this little girl, Sophia, to fear me, but she seems perfectly at ease. I'm glad she ran into someone like me and not someone who would take advantage of her trusting attitude.

"Where's your mother right now, Sophia?" I need to know if I'm ever going to get her back.

"Everyone is back on the highway!" she speaks too loudly once again, but there's excitement in her voice this time and I don't have the heart to shush her. Wait, Everyone? So, she and her mother must be with a group. She did mention someone named Carl and his father. Perhaps we'll run into them while we're out here looking for her doll.

There's a rustling to our left and I immediately stop. Sophia looks to the bush where the noise came from. I can see the fear on her face as she glances back at me.

"It's okay," I reassure her, "I can take care of it." She doesn't look very confident in that sentence so I ruffle her hair and receive a tiny scowl in return.

A shell-head trips and falls out of a large bush. She groans as she looks up at the two of us. I take out my hatchet and take a step forward when I hear more moans. A lot more. That's not good. I back away and grab Sophia's hand.

"We need to go, kiddo." There's more moaning and I tell her more urgently, "we need to go now!"

She's shaking and the tears are back, but she nods. I tug her in the opposite direction and she follows. I start out in more of a quick jog, not sure if Sophia will be able to keep up with me when I start running. I was a track star in high school, supposed to go to college on Scholarship. Not even my team mates could keep up with me. My coach always told me that I would one day regret not learning to run with others. _"Learn the difference in running ahead of others and leading them, June,"_ he would tell me. I never understood because I was in front in both situations, wasn't I?

Now, with a little girl's life in my hands, I think I understand. As much as I just want to bolt away from the dead chasing us, I have to lead Sophia from danger. She's counting on me.

Seeing her keep up fairly well, I speed up. Broken tree limbs are crushed under our feet and as we continue to sprint and she almost trips on one before I help her steady herself. We are only running for maybe three or four minutes when I start to hear her breathing heavily. I slow myself down and fight the smidgen of irritation I can feel bubbling. There's no need to be a jerk. Sh'e trying her best and not everyone runs for fun.

"You're doing good, kid. I just need you to keep running for a few more minutes and then we should be off the hook," She looks behind us after my comment and then nods her head fiercely before speeding up. Taken off guard by her sudden change of speed, I stumble slightly. I quickly regain my previous speed and run along side Sophia.

We run for another few minutes until I decide we're in the clear. I slowly come to a stop and Sophia, still holding my hand, follows my lead. She plops to the ground with a loud huff and tries to get her breathe back. I stay standing, listening for any signs of a threat. Finding no immediate threat, I turn my head back to the little girl still on the ground who is still gasping for air.

"Not a fan of P.E. classes?" I ask her.

"Nuh, uh," is her reply in between her large intakes of breath.

I offer the kid my hand and pull her up once she grabs it. Letting go, she pats the dirt off her bottom and glances back in the direction of the large group of dead.

"My doll?" she is still slightly out of breath, but the words come out clearly. I know she wants to find it, but we can't look for it with that giant group of them around. I can't really take her back to the highway either right now. There's no telling which direction those things are going.

"We can go look for your doll another time Sophia. We should find a safe place to stay for now. There were a lot of shell-heads back there." I tell her this as gently as possible. She seems very sensitive about this doll and I really don't need the poor kid to start crying all over again.

I was expecting tears, but she only asks me, "A shell-head?"

Oh. "Ya know. Those things."

"That's a dumb name," she informs me. Oh, okay. First, this kid rugby tackles me and then she insults my creative name giving skills. I'm incredibly insulted now. "I bet you have a dumb name too," Is she trying to aggravate me now?

"My name is June."

"That's dumb." Yes. The answer is yes.

I let out a loud sigh and I tell her of a barn I found earlier in the day. You know, before my day was interrupted by a sassy pre-teen. She follows me while whispering about how dumb it is to name your kid after a month. Never have I ever wanted to fight a kid more than I do in this very moment.

* * *

 **AN: Hi guys! So I'm still not used to this site so I apologize for all the errors! Also I would really appreciate any feedback you guys might be able to give me! Also the end pairing will be June and Beth, so if anyone was looking for a DayrlxOC story then you are out of luck my friend. I apologize for anyone who might have thought this. Also, if Sophia seems a little OOC its because she is based more on comic book Sophia.**


	2. The Journal

**I do not own anything except for my OC, June. TWD belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC.**

* * *

After Sophia's spill about how strange she thought my name was, she was oddly quiet. She didn't strike me as a super talkative kid, but the silence was starting to get uncomfortable. Especially with the odd side glances she would occasionally send me.

We were 10 minutes into our half hour walk to the barn when she finally broke the silence.

"Momma told me not to trust strangers." She is staring intently at me when I glance back at her. She is only a few steps behind me, but it seems like she is trying to create distance between us.

"I'm pretty sure we've exchanged names, kiddo. Meaning, we aren't really strangers," even after I say this, she still looks apprehensive. I continue with a cool voice, hoping to calm her, "You can trust me Sophia. I promise I won't hurt you."

Her face gradually softens and I have to strain to hear the next words out of her mouth, "I know that, but everyone always says that you shouldn't talk to people you don't know. You could have hurt me in the woods if you wanted… But you didn't."

So, the kid isn't as trusting as I had originally thought. Granted, if I had been in her position I doubt I would have done much differently. She was scared and alone in the woods without anything to defend herself. Of course she would trust the girl who just saved her life from a walker that's twice her size. Now that there isn't any danger and she isn't struggling to stay alive, her thoughts had strayed to doubts of the mysterious stranger she knows nothing about.

"How about this? When we get to the barn, I'll tell you all about myself. Then you can tell your mother you were with a friend and not a stranger," I hope this will be enough to placate her doubts of me.

She isn't looking at me, but I'm given a nod. Seeing that I won't be able to calm her fears for the time being, I keep walking.

Nearly 15 minutes after our short talk we reach an old, brown barn that looks to have been abandoned long before the dead started walking. After telling her to be on the watch, I have Sophia wait outside with my duffle bag as I scout the inside. I search the entire building twice before I call for Sophia. She stumbles in and it's only now that I realize how exhausted the poor thing looks. Her eyes droop and her shoulders are slumped. I hold out my hand and she passes me the bag. I slowly unzip it and take out a can opener.

"Peaches, beans, or tuna?" is all I ask her. Her nose wrinkled in disgust on the last word and I mentally cheered that I wouldn't have to give up any of my favorite canned food. I pull out two different cans. Peaches and Beans. She points to the peaches in my right hand. I figured that's what she would go for. I was never a fan of beans when I was younger either.

I put the beans back into the bag and take out a can of tuna. I grab the can opener and start on the peaches first. When I finally have the lid off, I pass the can to Sophia. She takes it and mumbles a small thank you.

"You'll have to eat with your hands. I have a rag in my bag if you need to wipe them off."

She nods and grabs for the rag while I start in on my can of tuna. The top eventually pops off and I request the rag from Sophia to clean my own hands off. She complies and tosses it to me. We eat in silence on the wooden floor and I finish my dinner before she does. Pushing my trash to the side, I reach into my bag once again and take out a large, dark red journal and pen. Sophia pauses in her silent chewing and looks at me curiously as I open the journal.

It was a gift from my father that I hadn't found a use for until the shell-heads popped up. I wasn't much of a writer, but I soon found a reason to write.

"My dad gave me this," I start. She lowers her can and I can see I have her full attention so I continue," he was bit almost immediately after the shell-heads starting roaming around. He knew he wouldn't make it. He asked me to take care of my little brother for him."

"You have a little brother?" she asks me.

"Had."

She nods and seems to think for a few moments before responding, "Is that why you saved me? Because of him?"

I look at her thoughtfully, "Partly. For the most part, I just couldn't imagine leaving anyone, kid or not, alone in the woods."

She nods and pokes another peach into her mouth, but her eyes never leave the journal that's now sitting on my lap. I pick it up and open It to the first page. I scuttle over to her so she can see the writing on the paper.

I put it in her tiny hands and continue with my story, "My brother died a little after my dad. I knew I couldn't let them be forgotten though. I would never forgive myself if they were. If would be like they never even existed. So, I started keeping this journal."

She skims through the pages in confusion. "Who are all these people?"

I smile sadly, "The first three pages are for my family."

She flips back to beginning and looks through the first three pages again. The small words in-between the lines are overshadowed by the bold names at the top of each page

 _ **Kelsey Marks**_

 _ **Harley Marks**_

 _ **Keith Marks**_

She stares at me, brows furrowed, "You wrote them all eulogies?"

I shrug, "Sort of. I wanted them to be remembered. Even if it was only on paper."

She flips through the next few pages. All of them have names and writing in them. None have nearly as much content as the first three, but that's because they were gone before I could get to know them better.

"Who are the others?" she asks curiously.

"Just a few people I met after the dead started walking, "I answer her.

Her hands stop and she looks up at me, her eyes curious, "If you didn't know them, then why did you write these?"

I pause and take a moment to answer her, "Because no deserves to be forgotten."

She's doesn't say anything, just nods and hands me my journal. I stand and place it back into the bag that's still sitting on the ground, then pulling out two blankets and setting them down on the ground next to Sophia. She is finishing her last peach when she glances at the blankets. I can see the craving for sleep in her eyes and nudge them towards her with my foot. It's getting close to dark and there's no way we're going out in the woods at night. She needs sleep if we are going to find her group tomorrow.

I inform her I'm going to lock the entrances to the barn so we can get a good night's sleep when she grabs my pant leg. I look down at her in surprise and she speaks before I can question her, "You're really cool, June. You should stay with us when we find momma and Carl."

I feel my mouth drop open in surprise. That is certainly not what I expected. Wasn't this kid worried just an hour ago, that I was evil or something? Was I this confusing when I was younger?

Instead of verbally giving her an answer, I shrug and then nod my head. She, taking this as a conformation, smiles up at me and grabs the two blankets. As Sophia gets ready for bed, I walk outside to check for any stray roamers that might have been lurking around the barn. Finding nothing, I stop to contemplate my current situation. It's not that I have anything against staying with a group, I just don't want to get close to people only to watch them die again. That's why there are so many names in my journal. They were there, and then suddenly, they weren't. I also don't think I could just leave the kid after this though. Maybe, just maybe, I will stay with her group and maybe I'll meet this Carl fellow.

Walking back to the barn, I stop as I notice the five-pointed star above the wide door. I find myself smiling brightly at it. It seems that my luck is changing.

* * *

I wake up later than expected. I only slept for a few hours, to busy watching for any signs of danger. We should have left hours ago.

To my left, Sophia is snoring slightly and has curled into a ball. I contemplate letting her sleep another hour when I hear a small whimper come from her lips. Her face is pinched up in a scowl. I slowly sit up, sore from sleeping on the hard floor and shake her shoulder. Her scared eyes are open at once and she quickly backs away from my hand. I give her a moment to collect her thoughts and check her surroundings. I watch as the comprehension settles on her face and she looks back at me.

"You okay, kid?" She seems okay now, but I want to make sure.

She lets out a huff and tells me, "I thought you were dad."

Oh. She hasn't spoken of her father and I just assumed he had passed already. She must be upset that it was me instead of her dad, "Sorry kid."

She shakes her head causing me confusion," I'm glad it's you and not him."

And now I'm even more confused. I guess she didn't like her father? That'll have to be a talk for another time. Now, we need to get up and moving.

I inform Sophia of our need to depart and she helps me stuff the blankets into the duffle bag with a slightly guilty face. She was still awake the night before when I came back from checking outside when she noted my lack of blankets. I told her that I would be fine without any. It was the dead middle of summer so it's not like I was going to freeze to death.

Tossing my bag onto my shoulder, Sophia and I set out. She informs me she wants to find her doll first, but I somehow manage to convince her that we should first find the highway. When she asks me how we are getting to the highway, I realize I have no clue where it actually is. I didn't grow up here. I don't even know where in the hell _we_ are.

"So, we're lost?" She raises an unimpressed eyebrow at me and it reminds me of how my dad would look at me when I did something that he deemed incredibly dumb.

"…. Yes," I eventually reply.

She huffs and stomps her foot in irritation. She sure does huff and puff a lot for a twelve-year-old.

"I think we should go this way," I tell her pointing off in a direction to my left.

"Your plan is to walk in random directions until we find the highway?" she sounds like she is about to cry again. Crap. Think of something before the dams burst!

"Look, Kiddo," I get on my knees so I'm face to face with her. I'm at least half a foot taller than her so it sort of works, "I don't know when we'll find the highway, but what I do know is that I'll get you back to your mom, okay?" She wipes the oncoming tears away and nods her head. I stand up and ruffle her hair, hoping to distract her from her momentary sadness. It works when she swipes my hand away and pouts at me.

We start in the direction I had originally pointed to when I'm hit with a startling realization that I might have just lied to a little girl. What if I _can't_ find Sophia's group? What if we finally get to the highway and they're gone? What if Sophia blames me for it?

I shake my head and focus on the present. What matters is the now and right now I have a little girl counting on me to help her.

"So, Sophia. What are the people in your group like?" Her face lights up and she begins her tale.

* * *

We've been walking for a few hours with a food break in between the walking and I've heard stories of every one of the members of her group now. She's just finished telling me about a man named Dr. Jenner at the CDC when we hear a gun shot. Nearby. It sends birds flying from the tree branches and Sophia and I stop. I glance down at the girl to my right and she looks excited.

"That was probably them, right June?" she could be right. I stay still listening for more shots, but they never come. I can see Sophia out of the corner of my eye practically bouncing in place. I'm not sure if following the gun shot is a good idea in all honesty. From my experience, you don't need a gun if you're taking down one walker. Especially, if you're in a group. They should have been able to take it down without causing so much noise. Sophia is tugging on my arm and I know she wants to go look, but something is telling me not to.

"Let's go this way, Sophia," She looks at me with something akin to betrayal.

"But, what i-"

"Trust me, Sophia. If there is one thing I've learned to do, it's trust my gut. And my gut is telling me to go this way," I know she isn't happy with my words, but she follows me when I lead her away.

She ignores me for the next half hour or so. Even when I ask her about her friend Carl she doesn't respond. She had really seemed to like talking about Carl and I had even teased her about having a crush on him, but now she won't even utter the young boy's name.

"You know, you'll have to talk to me eve- "I stop in the middle of my sentence in shock. I've stopped walking and Sophia walks right into my back. There, in front of us in the highway and off to our left, there is an older man with a hat on top of a large, white RV. He, who I'm assuming is Dale from Sophia's stories, hasn't noticed us. He's talking to someone on the ground that is being blocked from my vision by various vehicles. Sophia gasps and climbs up to the road and I follow behind her.

She runs straight for the RV once she has successfully climbed the railing of the highway and starts calling out to the occupant at the top of the RV.

"Dale! Dale, I'm back! June brought me back!" So, I was correct in assuming this was the famous RV owner from the kid's tales.

Dale looks up in surprise when he hears Sophia's voice and is quick to climb down the ladder. I jog to catch up to Sophia and find her hugging the old man who is now desperately trying to keep up with Sophia's babbling. I see him glance at me when I arrive and I give him a small smile, hoping to relax any fears he might have of me. He puts his hand on her shoulder and she stops and takes a deep breath. I guess she had to get everything out from when she was ignoring me.

"Who is this, Sophia?" He asks the kid, but is staring at me.

"June. I'm June," I offer him my hand to shake and he takes it. He grips it and shakes it twice. His eyes are surprisingly kind.

"Sophia says you saved her?" he's looking at me softly and suddenly I am reminded of my grandfather and his kind smile. My heart aches slightly at this memory, but I offer a small shrug in return to his inquiry. "Thank you for that. Everyone has been out searching for her, excluding myself and T-dog."

A grunt of pain makes me aware for the first time of the man sitting on the ground. I look around Dale to find a dark-skinned man with a bloody cloth on his arm. He looks to be in great pain, but he still sends me a grateful smile and a quick, "thanks for bringing her back," So this is T-dog. He seems like he's seen better days. Seeming to understand my thoughts, he goes on to tell me his arm was caught on a piece of metal when he was trying to hide.

"Where's mom?" Sophia asks Dale once T-dog and I have finished.

Dale opens his mouth when a scream is suddenly heard from the woods. The older man goes pale at the sound and Sophia lets out a little whimper.

"Is that one of yours?" I ask him. He nods and although I don't think I was meant to hear, I caught the name Andrea whispered from his lips. "Would you like me to go check on them? I assume Carol will want to see her daughter."

"No. No, there's no need to send even more people out there. I'm sure everyone is alright. They'll be back soon." I Can tell he says it mostly for Sophia's sake by the way he glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

I nod anyways and turn my attention back to T-dog. "Have you taken anything for that?" He shakes his head and informs me that they could not find anything in the cars. I think I may be able to help him then. "My little brother used to get ear infections constantly so I have some Ampicillin on me. Would that be okay to use?"

He looks slightly taken aback by my offer but nods his head gratefully. I find the bottle in the bottom of my bag and take some out for T-dog to take. It isn't much, but I don't have any other medicine on me.

I keel down and hand him the medicine along with a water bottle from my bag. He gives me a bright smile and I grin back. I have a feeling I'll like T-dog.

Sophia's stomach growls loudly and we all let out a small laugh. The tense atmosphere that the scream caused has now lifted. Dale tells Sophia that there is food is the RV if she would like some and she gives an embarrassed nod and shuffles into the vehicle.

He informs me that there is also a bed I can sleep on. I suppose I must look tired since I didn't sleep much the night before. I take him up on his surprising offer and head to the back room he directs me to. I pass Sophia where she is sitting at a table eating and she gives me a happy wave. I smile and let her know I'm going to sleep for a small amount of time and get a wide grin full of crackers in return. It's both disgusting and adorable.

After face planting on the bed (A bed! I haven't slept on one of these in weeks!) I fell asleep dreaming about Keith. He really would have liked Sophia. Dale and T-dog, too. I really miss him.

* * *

 **AN: So most chapters should be around 2,500-4,000 words with a few exceptions. Now that I have the beginning out of the way, the story should go much smoother. Also, in case anyone was wondering, in America a barnstar is considered good luck!**


	3. The Farm

**I do not own anything except for my OC, June. TWD belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC.**

* * *

I'm woken by voices coming from outside the RV. My head lifts in confusion. I take in my surroundings and my time before my impromptu nap comes back to me. Sophia lays next to me on the bed to my right. She must have snuck in sometime after her meal.

I gently raise out of the bed as to not wake her. I slowly push open the door to the small room and step into the main area. The voices come in slightly clearer and I catch Sophia's name come from Dale's lips. There's a pause and suddenly footsteps coming towards the RV. A woman comes busting into the RV in a frantic manner. She has short, grey hair and is considerably smaller than me. This must be Carol, Sophia's mother. I point towards the bedroom door and whisper a small, "She's in there. Asleep." and that's all it takes for her to dart to the small bedroom in the back. She pulls the door open and I see Sophia startle awake. She glances around, stopping when she spots her mother. She lets out a small cry and jumps into her mother's awaiting arms. A small, "Sophia," slips from Carol's mouth and I can hear the pure relief and joy in her voice.

Not wanting to intrude on the moment, I make my way onto the highway to greet the newcomers. Stepping out of the vehicle, I spot three strangers. The young, Korean guy is obviously Glenn and the blonde woman must be Andrea. The last man has a crossbow, so he should be Daryl.

The three who I have yet to be introduced to stop in their spots and stare. I awkwardly step forward and raise a hand in greeting. Glenn, with confusion on his face, waves back at me. Daryl cocks an eyebrow and holds his crossbow in a ready stance. Andrea gives me an incredulous stare as if she can't understand why a stranger just came out of their temporary home.

Dale, who had been standing to the side watching the silent exchange, finally spoke up, "Everyone, this is June. She found Sophia and brought her back to us." Daryl lowers his crossbow and nods at me in greeting and Glenn and Andrea both send me large smiles.

"You brought my baby back?" Carol has appeared behind me without my notice. Her eyes are red from crying and she looks like she hasn't slept recently. Sophia is clinging to her mother's hip until her eyes meet mine and she lets go. She shoots forward and grabs my wrist, pulling me towards Carol.

"Mom, this is June. I know, it's a dumb name," I send her a small glare after that little comment. Are we still on that? "She's my new friend and she saved me from a walker in the woods."

I don't even notice Carol until I have an armful of her in a tight hug. She pulls my head to her chest despite our height difference and sobs into my hair. I shoot Sophia a panicked glance once I break my head away and onto her shoulder so I don't suffocate from Carol's grip. Sophia shrugs her shoulder and shoots me a _'what am I supposed to do'_ look. The little traitor.

Carol finally releases me and my red locks are now wet from tears. Not that I mind too much.

"Oh!" she cries out," I'll never be able to repay you for doing this! Thank you so much!" The tears are finally disappearing.

I give her a small smile and tell her," It's no problem. I would have hoped someone would have done the same for my little brother."

"Where's your family, sweetheart? You can't be much younger than Glenn."

"I'm 19 ma'am. And they…. didn't make it long in all this"

Her hand shoots to her mouth and she apologizes, but I wave her off. She couldn't have known. And as hard as it is to think of them, I've made peace with their deaths. Sophia takes my hand then and introduces me to Glenn, Andrea, and Daryl, confirming their identities for me.

At some point, during Carol hugging the life out of me, Daryl had gotten T-dog some medicine for his wound. They then inform of me of their altercation in the woods with a girl who had taken one of their group. When they inform us of Carl being shot, Sophia lets out a loud gasp and I can see tears in her eyes again. I ruffle her hair and give her a small smile, hoping to calm her before there's any possibility of more of my body becoming soaked with tears. From the corner of my eye, I catch Carol staring at us. Fearing I had overstepped a boundary, I quickly take my hand away and turn to apologize, only to find her smiling at me in gratification. Surprised, but happy with her reaction, I send her an awkward thumbs up. As soon as do it, I curse myself being such a dork. It's a good thing I played sports or else I most likely would have been picked on at my old high school.

"So, June? Will you?" I'm broken from my musing by Dale, who is looking at me with a hopeful expression.

"Huh? OH! Oh, yes, sure!" I have no idea what I just agreed to, but I couldn't reject whatever it was when the old man was looking at me like that.

"Great! I just wouldn't feel comfortable sending Glenn and T-dog alone. Glenn wouldn't be able to keep himself alive while also protecting T if a group of walkers caught them. "

Okay…. So, I'm going somewhere with Glenn and T-dog. Think back. What where they talking about when I was zoning out. Think, June, think. OH! The farm! Dale wants me to go to the farm with Glenn and T-dog? I can do that.

I turn to find Glenn and T-dog only to be grabbed by a small hand. Sophia is staring worriedly at me and before I can reassure her she blurts out," Please be careful! I really like having you around, June," I didn't expect that little outburst. And from the looks on the other's faces, they didn't either. Just as I'm about to assure her I'll be staying with her group, she hugs me and is racing off into the RV before I can even comprehend what had happened. I seek out her mother to ask her if her child is always this strange, only to find an equally bewildered expression on her face.

"Wait," I stop them, "why aren't you coming with us?

Daryl is the one who answers me, "Need ta check the rest of the cars fer supplies fore we go." Right. That makes sense. Sophia told me they were interrupted searching the cars when a horde came and they've all been out looking for her since then.

After being informed that they will be at the farm in the morning by Dale, I walk off to the truck where Glenn and T-dog are loading up for their trip. T-dog gives me a bright, yet pained, smile when he sees me. Glenn, following T's gaze, gives me a look of confusion. I quickly explain Dale's plan of sending me as backup, hoping the slightly older looking boy won't get angry with me. To my relief, he gives me a quick thanks and we're soon loading into the truck. I'm forced to sit in the back seat. Although there's plenty of room, I find my legs quickly getting stiff. I'm not used to sitting still for long. T-dog takes a nap and so Glenn and I make small talk until we discover our shared love for many of the same video games. We rant about different games very loudly and with many wild hand gestures on my part. At some point I accidentally hit T's headrest and he shoots awake, irritated at me. I sheepishly apologize while Glenn merely laughs at me. With T-dog awake, we move on to different topics such as our favorite food, music, and movies until we eventually make it to a gate blocking the road. I offer to get out and open and close it for him so I can finally stretch my legs.

I tug at the gate a couple of times, but it doesn't budge. Glenn rolls down the window after he notes my dilemma. He tells me there should be a lever to pull out of the ground and I look around until I spot one. I yank it out expecting it to be hard to pull out, but as soon as I tug, I go sailing backwards into the small ditch to the side. I feel my shoulder hit a sharp rock at the bottom and I hiss out in pain. I glance down to find a hole in my shirt and blood leaking from a long cut. It isn't too deep, but it sure does sting.

I hear the car door open and slam shut and soon Glenn is at my side. I assure him I'm okay, but he still walks me back to the car and puts me in the back seat. He then pulls the vehicle into the drive and gets back out to shut the gate. He's back in the car and driving again. T-dog keeps glancing back to check on me every couple of minutes.

"T, if you can survive that giant cut on your arm, then I think I'll be okay with this small thing." He sheepishly laughs and finally turns around.

It isn't long before we're at the house and the three of us pile out of the Cherokee and start walking towards the door.

"Do we ring the bell?" Glenn directs this to me once we're on the first step of the stairs and I shrug before noticing a figure on the porch. There's a pretty, brunette girl sitting in one of the chairs.

"Why don't we ask her?" I nod towards the figure sitting in the dark. Talk about creepy.

"It's not creepy if you live in the house." Her voice has a country tang and I can hear the amusement in her tone. My cheeks color in embarrassment. Oh, didn't mean to say that aloud. Whoops…

"Did you close the gate on the way in?" She and Glenn speak back and forth and I keep my mouth shut hoping to spare myself from any future blunders. She eventually invites us in for food after T-dog informs her of his arm and my shoulder's condition and we make our way into the beautiful home. She takes us to a room where a man in a sheriff's uniform and a dark-haired woman sit at the side of a bed. Rick and Lori are their names if I'm remembering correct. In the bed is a little boy who I know to be Carl.

"Hey," Glenn whispers it. It's like he's afraid that everyone in the room might break if he speaks any louder. Which, from the looks of it, they just might. Rick and Lori look like they could break down at any minute.

Lori looks up at him with weary eyes and whispers a low, "Hi," her voice breaks. Her eyes move over to me, "Who's this?"

Glenn puts his hand on my shoulder and tells her, "This is June. She found Sophia in the woods and brought her back."

Rick's eyes snap to mine and lowly repeats "thank you" over and over under his breath. Lori gives me a smile and whispers, "Finally, something is going right."

From behind me, T tells them, "We're here. If you need anything."

They give him an appreciative nod and soon their gazes are back on their son. Maggie, the name I soon learned belonged to the creeper of the night, quickly ushers us into the kitchen. She sits T-dog and I down and grabs us all something to eat. I opt for a simple bologna sandwich. There's panicked noises from the room with Carl and I close my eyes. No one should have to go through what Rick and Lori are going through right now. I sit and wait for the noises to stop. When I open my eyes again, Maggie is to my left and Patricia, the older blonde woman, is stitching up T-dog.

"I'll have Beth look at your shoulder for you." Patricia doesn't look up from her stitching, but the statement is obviously directed at me.

"Why can't you do it?" I ask her

"You'll have to remove your shirt. I figured you would be more comfortable with someone your age checking over it." It really wouldn't have mattered who went all medic ninja on me if they could stop the pain.

Maggie takes my arm after I finish my sandwich and leads me to a bathroom. She set me down on the toilet after she sets the lid down and tells me to wait here. Not like I was planning on it, so I did as I was told and waited. A few minutes later a small, Blonde girl walked in. She couldn't have been over 5'5. A full 4 inches shorter than me, but with me sat down she towered over me. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she was carrying a brown bottle, a rag, and what appeared to be a shirt.

She sets the items on the sink and offers me a smile. I'm momentarily caught off guard by how pretty it is, but quickly recover with a smile of my own.

"I'm Beth."

"June."

"Patricia says you need a cut cleaned?" Her head tilts at the end of her question and you're suddenly struck with the memories of the golden retriever puppy my father always promised to let me have, but never bought.

I nod and she grabs the rag and wets it," I'll need you to take your shirt off first. I went ahead and brought you an extra that my friend kept here for you to wear after this.'

I drag the shirt from my torso, cursing when it rubs my shoulder. She takes it and tosses it into the trash can by the door. She turns around and suddenly stops when her eyes find you. Her eyes widen and for a panicked moment, I worry I'm dying. Which is obviously silly. But wouldn't _that_ be the way to go! The dead are walking and June Marks' dies from a rock to the shoulder. She regains her composure and walks over to you and starts to clean the wound. She must not have been expecting the amount of blood. At least that's what you hope. Because really. Dying by rocks would suck.

I get lost in my thoughts of death via rock when I notice her putting whatever is in the brown bottle onto the rag. She hesitates before putting the rag back onto my skin. She looks at me and says something, but I'm distracted by her eyes. They were stunning. they reminded me of the ocean. Flecks of color and beauty and rolled up into two tiny gorgeous orbs.

My thoughts are interrupted by a stinging from my shoulder and I let out a loud cry of pain. It wasn't that is was particularly painful. It just surprised me.

Beth lets out a giggle, "Told you."

I grunt in acknowledgement, because she probably did tell me that while I were too busy staring into her eyes. Pretty girls will be the death of me.

Beth then puts bandages of some sorts onto my shoulder and hands me the extra shirt she had brought. I quickly pull it over my head and stand. Beth startles and marvels at my height.

"You…. are taller than I thought," she tells me.

I smile, used to that sentence. I've heard It more than a couple of times in my life.

"Thank you," I tell her quietly

"For commenting on your height?" she asks doing the head tilt again.

"No," I laugh quite loudly at that," for fixing me up. You did well."

Her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Whether it's from her mix up or the praise, I do not know.

"It was nothing. If you need anything else, just let me know." And with that she leaves out the bathroom door, leaving me alone. I go to follow her lead and leave when my reflection catches my eye. I walk back to the sink and take in my appearance. My red curls are matted down to my head and my skin is darker than it ever has been and I've gained even more freckles in the past months of roaming in the sun. I'm surprisingly clean though. Of course, I had my last bath quite recently. Just a little before I had found Sophia.

Walking out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen, I can't help but think that today was a success. Even if a gate almost killed me.'

* * *

 **AN: So, June meets Beth and the rest of the group. The next chapter will focus on June getting to know her new friends and trying her best to find her role in the group.**

 **I'd also like to point out that because this is Semi-Au things will eventually go a little off track. We will follow the main story line and the group will get to the prison and maybe even terminus! The main differences are of who survives and who does not. So the big parts are all still there. There just a few tweaks!**

 **If anyone has any request like who you think should make the friends and enemies list, PM me! It might make it into the story!**


	4. The Hunter

**I do not own anything except for my OC, June. TWD belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC.**

* * *

T-dog glances up from his sandwich when he notices me standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Looking around the room, I notice that no one is in the room besides he and I. I raise an eyebrow and send him an inquisitive look. Seeming to understand, he shrugs his shoulders and tells me that Maggie left after Glenn to go out to the porch and that Patricia was with Hershel and the Grime family. I nod at his words and sit across from him at the kitchen table. I glance at his arm, happy to see it stitched up. He seems to be feeling better already.

"Wanna bite?" he thrusts his sandwich towards me. I look at the content and shake my head, scowling. Mayonnaise with turkey? No thank you. Seeing my disgusted look, he continues, "what? You gotta problem with mayo?"

"No," I shake my head, "I have a problem with turkey."

He startles and drops his turkey sandwich, "What the hell do you eat on Thanksgiving then?"

"Ham," I tell him shrugging my shoulders," and a whole lot of macaroni."

T-dog shakes his head and mumbles something that I can't make out. Although, he has a small smile on his face, so I assume he isn't making fun of me.

T-dog and I talk of our other family traditions for the next half hour or so. I learn that he had a younger brother that he would always fight with on Christmas. (They both wanted to open the first gift.) And in return, I told him of how I would hide eggs for my little brother on Easter. He had never believed in the Easter bunny, but he absolutely loved finding those eggs. He finished his sandwich at some point listening to me go on about my brother's first Easter with us.

Our talk is interrupted by the Grime's scrambling towards the front door of the house. Getting up, T and I follow the others to the porch. A dark-haired man is getting out of a blue truck with a large bag. He stumbles towards Rick with a small limp and I catch the word that tumble out of his mouth. _Carl._ So, this must be Shane.

"Still a chance," Rick assures him. Shane hands the bag over to Hershel and the older man starts back towards the house only to stop. He glances back towards the truck again.

"Otis?" Hershel asks this almost as if he already knows the answer.

Otis? I don't remember the name from Sophia, so he must be one of Hershel's men. Actually, now that I think about it, I think I remember Patricia mentioning an Otis before she started stitching up T-dog's arm. Although, I wasn't paying too much attention.

Shane shakes his head

Hershel looks around at us all. He looks like a lost, frightened child right now.

"We say nothing to Patricia," the old man demands. He rushes back into the house quickly to get started on Carl.

Rick and Shane speak in hushed tones. Loud enough for everyone to hear, but low enough for everyone to know not to interrupt.

I turn to T-dog and whisper to him, "Who's Otis?"

He looks away from Shane and Rick and towards me, "He's the man who shot Carl. Patricia's husband"

My eyes widen at this. Patricia's husband is the one that shot the kid that is fighting for his life inside?

Seeming to see where my thoughts are going, T-dog is quick to clarify, "It was an accident. Shot a deer and the bullet went right through and hit Carl. Patricia explained everything while sticking a needle in me." It's almost creepy how well he can pick up on my thoughts.

I nod my head and join Lori who is watching her husband and Shane. She peers at me when she spots me walking towards her. She has a look in her eyes that says she's been through too much in the past 24 hours.

I think about asking her if she's okay, but she obviously isn't. Instead I point between her and Rick and ask," Do you need guys need anything?"

Her face twists in confusion and then, slowly, melts into a soft expression," No, we're okay, sweetheart. You've done more than enough for us already."

Now it's my turn for confusion. I shake my head in bafflement, "But I- What?"

She lets out a shaky laugh, "You brought Sophia back. If anything happened to her, Rick would have blamed himself forever. So, thank you."

I don't get why she's thanking me. I just did what anyone would have done.

"Sophia is smart. She would have gotten back to you without me."

Lori gives me a sad smile, "Intelligence doesn't insure that you'll make it. Did she tell you about the CDC?"

"She told me a little bit. She said she didn't like the scientist you met."

"Did she tell you that Dr. Jenner was the only one left alive?"

I stop for a moment. No, Sophia did not tell me that. I assumed there was more than just one person there. Wasn't the CDC supposed to be full of some of the smartest people alive? At least, that's what my father told me.

"See? Intelligence has nothing to do with it. Not anymore. Even some of the brightest people alive couldn't make it in this new world." She gives me a moment to ponder on this. I suppose she's right, "Sophia may be smart, but I have a feeling we wouldn't have seen her again had you not brought her back."

I'm taken off guard by the hug she suddenly gives me. I suppose I shouldn't be with all the hugs I've been given lately, but when you go from not seeing or talking to people for weeks to suddenly having full conversations and having physical contact with them, it can be slightly overwhelming.

Her hug, like Carol's, is a thank you, but Lori's feels like more. It feels like home. It reminds me of the times my father would lift me off the ground and squeeze me after he had a particularly bad day. Like he was reassuring both he and I that everything was going to be okay.

Tears spring to my eyes and I silently berate myself. I haven't cried in weeks and I don't plan to again just because one hug brought back some bad memories.

I give a quick sniff to keep the tears away and she releases me. She puts a motherly hand on my shoulder and tells me to go meet Shane. She tugs me along with her and Rick and Shane stop their conversation when they see us. Rick gives me a grin and Shane sends a confused frown my way. He glances at Lori in a questioning manner and she introduces me.

"This is June. She brought Sophia back to us, Shane."

His face lights up in surprise and he nods at me, uttering small thanks of gratitude. I shrug my shoulder in a sheepish manner, still not completely comfortable with everyone thanking me for returning a lost girl.

Rick, still dizzy from giving blood decides he needs to sit for a while. Lori leads him towards the steps, leaving me alone with Shane.

"They're lucky to have you," I tell him once he has re-positioned himself on the ground. He looks up at me perplexed, "Without you, Carl probably wouldn't have made it."

He looks me up and down. Not in a creepy way. It's more like he's assessing my worth.

He stares me down for several silent minutes and I start to wonder if I said something wrong. He eventually speaks up," He isn't out of the woods yet."

"Maybe, but you gave him a chance."

He gives me a grateful nod and readjusts his position. Shane lets out a small hiss of pain and glares down at his ankle. I'm about to offer him help when something catches my eye.

"Hey, Shane?"

"What?" his voice is harsh and irritated.

"What happened to your hair?" a small patch of dark hair is missing on his head. There are fresh specks of blood on his scalp leaving me to believe it was a relatively new development.

I don't expect the dark glare he gives me after my words, "None of your business"

Okay, he has anger issues….

I mutter a small sorry in his direction and start towards the house again when Hershel barges out the front door.

Carl is going to be okay.

I follow Rick and Hershel into the house, but stop in the living room. I head towards the couch and take a seat. I hear the door open, but I don't look up. Instead I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable cries for a lost lover.

Patricia's wails start and I know that even after they stop, the pain will stay.

I fall asleep to the older blonde's cries from the kitchen.

* * *

I was woken the next morning by a boy who was slightly younger than me. He told me that his name was Jimmy and that we were to gather rocks for Otis' funeral.

Glenn, T-dog, Shane, and I helped the Greene's prepare for the funeral while Lori and Rick stayed with their son. We had been outside for what seemed like hours with the sun beating down on us when we caught sight of the rest of the group. The rumbling of Daryl's motorcycle could be heard as they got closer. I laid down the rock in my hand and followed everyone as they made their way to greet the rest of the batch. T-dog ran inside to get the others while the rest of us waited for the group.

As soon as the gathering vehicles come to a stop, the others inside the house finally appear. The door to the RV shoots open and a small, freckled girl jumps onto the ground. Her head scans the crowd until she finds me and she's off like a bullet. She jumps right into my arms, hugging me around the waist.

"June!" Sophia knocks me to the ground and I'm starting to think that every time we meet up this kid is going to knock me on my ass.

I let out a grunt of pain and push her up off me, "Hey, kid."

"Sophia!" Carol's stern voice calls from the door of the RV. Sophia shoots me a panicked glance that says _save me._

I shake my head, standing up and she scowls at me, "Traitor,"

I smirk at her. Glenn, standing next to me, snickers at our exchange.

She glances at Rick and Lori, "Is Carl okay?"

This gets everyone's attention. Carol and Dale look visibly worried, while Daryl and Andrea hide it much better. Rick and Lori calm everyone's fears and assures them that Carl is fine.

Hugs are given and Sophia asks to see her friend. Lori, Rick, and Carol take her to see Carl while Glenn, T-dog, and I make introductions and help the others get settled.

Although things are nice now, we have a funeral to get ready for soon.

* * *

 **AN: So sorry for the wait! Between work, school, and extracurricular activities, I haven't had much time to write. This is just sort of a short filler chapter to get my mojo back! I will be posting an author's note to explain my expectations for this fic and other things. Hopefully I will be able to keep a better upload schedule.**


	5. Author's note

**Hi guys! I'd like to explain a few things for all of you! I've been really busy with School, Work, and extracurricular activities. These things leave me very little time to write, but my schedule has recently opened up a bit! So, I should have an update for you at least every two weeks, but I'm hoping to get one out every week.**

 **As for the direction this story is going! I have certain things planned far in advance and some things I'm playing by ear. I'm not completely sure where I am going with Shane and Lori's character and they are two of the things I am playing by the ear. Not sure if I'd like a redemption story for these two or not.**

 **I would really appreciate feedback from you guys on how you are liking certain character's relationships with June. Also, feel free to give me suggestions for the storyline! Obviously, there are some things I won't be able to do if it interferes with my end game, but there are many scenarios I would really like to play with. I originally had planned for June to save Otis, but quickly scrapped that idea when I realized it would counter something big I have planned for this. So, as you can see, I like to play with different scenes.**

 **That's all I have for you guys! Have a wonderful day, everyone!**


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